Coin shaped objects and apparatus for making same



y 8, 1963 L. SZIKLA 3,091,142

COIN SHAPED OBJECTS AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING SAME Filed Dec. 14, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet l F/G. I

' Z0 INVENTOR.

l3 LESZ/E .SZ/KLA May 28, 1963 L. SZIKLA 3,

COIN SHAPED OBJECTS AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING SAME Filed Dec. 14, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I 1 'ur 75 40 6 will!!!" v Q fa KM 43 5 Z W INVENTOR.

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3,091,142 COIN SHAPED OBJECTS AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING SANIE Leslie Szikla, 300 W. 109th St., New York, N.Y. Filed Dec. 14, 1959, Ser. No. 859,296 Claims. (Cl. 80-22) The present invention is directed to apparatus for making certain forms of jewelry, specifically charms or pendants made from thin sheet material and giving the appearance of a heavy, expensive charm.

It is often desired to produce charms made out of precious metal from very thin sheets so that a smaller amount of metal is used and consequently the item can sell at a low price. Among the disadvantages of such thin charms is the fact that the thin material is not only unattractive and cheap in appearance, but also the thin edge is likely to cut the skin or clothing because of its sharpness.

In the past, such items have been manufactured by the use of a hollow, stamped gold frame into which is fitted the thin central portion of the article. This requires a very careful soldering operation which must later be touched up so that it does not show. Furthermore, if other ornaments are to be applied to the article by soldering, there is a very good chance that the seam binding the frame to the central portion will loosen up. Furthermore, there is a likelihood of buckling of the thin portion of the article due to the application of heat necessary for soldering. In addition to the foregoing, each frame must be individually fitted to the central portion since there are variations in size between the frames.

It is also important that a separate set of dies and stampings must be made for each size of article and consequently in order to maintain a complete line of ornaments of this character, a large number of tools and dies must be kept in stock.

It is further among the objects of this invention to provide a quick and easy method for producing a heavy border around a thin disc.

It is also among the objects of this invention to provide a method for producing a heavy border around a thin disc with the heavy border being integral with the disc.

It is still further among the objetcs of this invention to provide a heavy border around a thin disc without the necessity of soldering or any loss in weight of precious metal.

It is further among the objects of this invention to provide a method of producing a heavy border around a thin disc wherein it is unnecessary to have a plurality of dies to make different sized articles.

It is still further among the objects of this invention to provide a method for producing a heavy border on a thin disc which is readily adaptable to automatic operation.

In practicing this invention, there is provided. a set of three rollers which are spaced apart and at least one of which has a rectangular groove therein. Preferably all three rollers will be grooved and the grooves are in substantially the same plane. The rollers are rotated by a motor driving a series of gears which transfer the power to the rollers. Each of the rollers is mounted on an element and there is provided a ring surrounding the rollers, with a link joining each element with the ring. Urging means is applied to the ring acting through the links to press the rollers against an article which is held in the grooves thereof. This pressure together with the rotation of the rollers causes the edges to distort and assume the shape of the grooves.

The elements are pivotally mounted with respect to a support and the rollers are mounted on a rotatable shaft on the elements.

The rollers are powered through a driving gear mounted te States Patent 3,091 ,142 Patented May 28, 1963 on a rotatable drive shaft and connected to the motor, which is the source of power. Each of the elements is mounted on an axle rotatably journalled with respect to the support and carries an axle pinion on the axle and in engagement with the driving gear. Also mounted on the axle is an axle driver which in turn engages a roller pinion which is mounted on the shaft.

The ring is rotatable about its center and there is provided a switch on the ring, said switch having an actuator which will open and close the circuit. A preselector having a number of stepped bearing surfaces is mounted independently of the ring and adjacent to the actuator. As the machine operates, the ring rotates, bringing the switch and its actuator into contact with the bearing surface, thus turning off the device.

Instead of the bearing surface contacting the actuator directly, there may alternatively be provided an arm located radially on the rim and having a pivot point thereon. The preselector is placed adjacent the arm and a contact is provided on the arm. In the operation of this device, the rotation of the ring causes the arm to contact one of the bearing surfaces of the preselector, which in turn causes the arm to pivot about its pivot point, bringing the contact against the actuator and opening the circuit. In the form illustrated, the bearing surface is adjacent the outer end of the arm and the contact is intermediate the pivot point and the outer end of the arm. Gbvi-ously the arrangement of the contact, pivot point and portion of the arm against which the preselector bears, may be varied in their relationship to one another without departing from the principles herein disclosed.

In order to provide adjustments between the spaced portions of the preselector, a calibrated screw is threaded transversely in the arm and constitutes the contact. Thus by advancing or retracting the screw, virtually any adjustment may be obtained.

In the accompanying drawings constituting a part hereof, in which like reference characters indicate like parts,

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the apparatus with some portions broken away for clarity;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the essential portions of the device;

FIG. 3 is a view partly in section, showing only one of the three rollers and their associated elements;

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic view of the article being held in the roller grooves;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view showing the manner in which the thin sheet material deforms under the influence of the present device to form thickened edges;

FIG. 6 is a View of the automatic shut ofi mechanism in the off position, and

FIG. 7 is a schematic view indicating the movement of the rollers with respect to the article.

In practicing this invention, there is provided a base -1 carrying a support 2 and a top plate 3 rigidly mounted with respect to each other. A drive shaft 4 having a pulley 5 is connected to a source of power such as motor 39, as by a belt 43, motor pulley 42 and bevel gears 41. Drive shaft 4 is journalled between base 1 and support 2 and carries in addition to pulley '5, driving gear 6. Element 8 is pivotally mounted on axle 9 which in turn is rotatably held bet-ween support 2 and top plate 3.

Axle 9 carries axle pinion 7 which is engaged and driven by driving gear 6. Also mounted on axle 9 is axle driver 10 which engages roller pinion 11, which in turn is mounted on shaft 12. Shaft 12 is entirely journalled m element 8 and carries at its upper end, roller 13. Roller 13 has grooves 15 into which article 14 is received and retained. Rotatably mounted on top plate 3 is ring 16 which slides around on shoulder 44.

'Interconnecting ring 16 with element 8 is link 18 which is pivotally fixed to ring 16 at 17 and is pivotally fixed to element 8 at 19. It will be appreciated that although only one element and associated mechanism has been described, there are at least three of such elements, all of which are driven by driving gear *6 and which act in the exact same way;

Ring 16 is provided with an extension 25 carrying microswitch 26 with actuator 27 thereon. Arm 28 is radially disposed on extension 25 and is pivoted about its near end at pivot point 34. Calibrating screw 33 is threaded transversely through arm 28 and is adapted to contact actuator 27 at contact 35. Preselector 29 independently mounted on ring 16 and extension 25 is pivoted about 30 and is provided with a series of stepped portions 31, each of which has 'a bearing surface 32.

In operation, the rollers 13 are opened up by pressure on handle 23 in a clockwise direction, as shown in FIG. 1. This causes movement of ring :16 against the urging of spring 24 and causes elements 8 to pivot about axle 9. After the rollers are separated, article 14 is placed in the space between them and handle 23 is released. The pressure spring 24 tends to move ring .16 in a counterclockwise direction, exerting pressure on links 18, forcing elements 8 to pivot about axle 9 and pressing rollers '13 against article 14.

Power is then turned on and the rotation of the rollers plus their tendency to move in the direction indicated by arrows 20, causes article 14 to distort in the manner shown in FIG. 5. The diameter of the article decreases by an amount as indicated by arrows 22 of FIG. and gives the edge of the article a thickened shape 21, determined by the width and character of the grooves 15.

As the power is applied, motor 39 drives bevel gear 40, which in turn drives mating bevel bear 41 which is mounted on a shaft carrying a motor pulley 42. Belt 43 transmits the power through pulley 5 to drive shaft 4. Driving gear 6 causes rotation of the three axle pinions 7 which are mounted on axles 9 which carry elements 8. Since elements 8 pivot about axles 9, no matter what position they assume, driving gear 6 and axle pinions 7 are always in engagement. Axle 9 drives shafts 12 through axle drivers and roller pinions 11. These shafts in turn cause rotation of rollers 13.

Due to the tension in spring 24 urging ring 16 to rotate in counter-clockwise direction as shown in FIG. 1, links 18 are in compression and elements 19 are urged to pivot about axle 9 in a counter-clockwise direction as shown in FIG. 1. This forces rollers 13 in the direction of arrows 38 and exerts a steady pressure on article 14, thus causing a deformation and thickening of the edge.

The amount of deformation is controlled by the loss in diameter of the article 14 due to the pressure of rollers 13. As rollers 13 approach each other, ring 16 continues to move in a counter-clockwise direction as shown in FIG. 1. This causes extension 25 to move in the direction of arrow 36. The amount'of movement is controlled by preselector 29 with stepped portions 31 carrying hear ing surfaces 32. The appropriate bearing surface is brought into position by suitable pivoting of preselector 29 about 30. As. extension -25 moves in the direction of arrow 36, arm 28 bears against bearing surface 32, cansing arm .28 to pivot about pivot point 34. This brings contact 35 against actuator 27 of microswitch 26, thus breaking the circuit and turning olf the motor. -In order to obtain adjustments between successive stepped portions 31 of' preselector 29, there is provided calibrated screw 33 which is advanced or retracted a suitable amount to secure the precise adjustment desired.

Alternatively, preselector 29 may be so pivoted as to bear directly against actuator 27 of switch 26, eliminating the need for arm 28. Calibrating screw 33 or its equivalent would then be mounted directly on preselector 29 to secure the fine adjustment intermediate stepped portions 31.

In the foregoing manner, it is easy to produce thickened edges on thin sheet articles of a wide variety of shapes and sizes. The only change necessary is when the thickness of the thickened portion is to be varied and this is simply a matter of having another set of grooved rollers. It should be noted that achieving, a suitable diameter in the end product is merely the result of selection of a suitable size for the starting material and there is a Wide latitude in this regard.

It is clear that although only one embodiment of this invention has been specifically illustrated and described, changes such as are obvious to one skilled in the art may be made without departing from the scope or spirit thereof. For example, it is unnecessary that all three rollers be grooved since it is sufficient if only one roller has the rectangular groove desired. Furthermore the shape of the grooves may be varied depending upon the type of edge desired. In addition, one or more of the grooves may be engraved to produce a pattern or a combination of letters on the edge of the article. Specifically, a knurled or coin edge may readily be produced.

Clearly the various axles and shafts and the like may be rearranged and mounted in a somewhat difierent manner without departing from the essence of this invention. For example, it is possible to journal any one of the various shafts about its center with a single ball bearing rather than about both ends as has been described and shown in this application. If one so desires, each of the three axles may be driven by a separate source of power, eliminating the need for a central driving gear. It is even possible to make the grooves in the rollers of such character as to produce a slightly fluted edge or other similar variation thereof.

I These and other changes may be made in this inventron without departing from the'intent thereof and the device described in the present application is to be broadly construed and not to be limited except by the character of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. A device for forming thickened edges on relatively thin articles comprising a support, at least three spaced apart axles mounted on said support, an element pivotally mounted on each of said axles, a roller for each of said axles mounted on its said element and connected to its axle by gearing, at least one of said rollers being grooved, said rollers being in the same plane, an area between said rollers adapted to receive an article to be treated, said article'being held by said rollers, means for rotating said axles, a ring on said support, a link joinmg each said element with said ring whereby oscillation of said ring causes'oscillation of each said element about its said axle, and urging means applied to said ring pressing said rollers against said article to cause said rollers to distort the edges of said article, said ring being rotatable about its center under the influence of said urging means, a switch on said ring, said switch having an actuator, a preselector having at least one bearing surface adjacent said actuator and mounted independently of said ring, said bearing surface adapted to contact said actuator as said ring rotates about its center, said switch adapted to turn off the device.

2. A device according to claim 1 wherein the bearing surface is a calibrated screw which provides fine adjustments.

3. A device according to claim 1 wherein an arm located radially on said ring and having a pivot point thereon, a preselector having at least one stepped portion adjacent said arm, a contact on said arm, whereby the rotation of said ring causes the arm to contact said stepped portion, saidarm pivoting about said point bringing said contact against said actuator and opening said switch.

4. A device according to claim 3 wherein said contact is intermediate said point and the outer end of said arm.

5. A device according to claim 3 wherein said contact comprises a calibrated screw threaded transversely in said arm, whereby adjustments intermediate said stepped portions may be obtained.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 718,613 Field Jan. 20, 1903 6 Ward June 20, 1916 Peters Oct. 21, 1931 Schmidt Feb. 7, 1933 Horger et a1 Apr. 19, 1938 Fassnacht Nov. 29, 1938 Laningham July 1, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Apr. 5, 1950 

1. A DEVICE FOR FORMING THICKENED EDGES ON RELATIVELY THIN ARTICLES COMPRISING A SUPPORT, AT LEAST THREE SPACED APART AXLES MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT, AN ELEMENT PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON EACH OF SAID AXLES, A ROLLER FOR ECH OF SAID AXLES MOUNTED ON ITS SAID ELEMENT AND CONNECTED TO ITS AXLE BY GEARING, AT LEAST ONE OF SAID ROLLERS BEING GROOVED, SAID ROLLERS BEING IN THE SAME PLANE, AN AREA BETWEEN SAID ROLLERS ADAPTED TO RECEIVE AN ARTICLE TO BE TREATED, SAID ARTICLE BEING HELD BY SAID ROLLERS, MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID AXLES, A RING ON SAID SUPPORT, A LINK JOINING EACH SAID ELEMENT WITH SAID RING WHEREBY OSCILLATION OF SAID RING CAUSES OSCILLATION OF EACH SAID ELEMENT ABOUT ITS SAID AXLE, AND URGING MEANS APPLIED TO SAID RING PRESSING SAID ROLLERS AGAINST SAID ARTICLE TO CAUSE SAID 